Introducing: The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart

Introducing: The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart

Author: iHeartPodcasts August 24, 2026 Duration: 1:16

Hosted by famed abduction survivor turned advocate Elizabeth Smart, The Survivor Files is a true crime podcast featuring firsthand accounts from ordinary people who were thrust into impossible circumstances. Targeted by serial killers, held-hostage, stalked, attacked, and controlled – their stories reveal what survival really looks like. Guided by Elizabeth’s uniquely personal perspective, each conversation explores the choices, instincts, and strength that helped survivors make it out alive and rebuild their lives.

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In 1983, a fringe publisher called Paladin Press released a book titled Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors. Written under the pen name Rex Feral, it purported to offer a grim guide for would-be contract killers, detailing everything from finding work to evading capture. A decade later, a horrific triple murder shattered a family, leaving investigators to unravel a chilling connection to that very manual. This iHeartPodcasts series delves deep into that true crime story, exploring the real-world consequences of a book that presented itself as fiction. Each episode pieces together the exhaustive investigation that followed the deaths of Tiffani Horn’s mother, her young brother, and a family friend, probing how a published text became a focal point in a murder case. The Hit Man podcast goes beyond the sensational headline, examining the legal battles, the ethical questions surrounding the publisher's responsibility, and the lasting trauma for the victims' loved ones. It's a story about the dangerous space where dangerous ideas meet actionable reality, told through detailed reporting and narrative depth. Listeners will hear from those directly involved in the case, gaining an understanding of how a obscure manual traveled from the shadows into the heart of a courtroom drama.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 12

Hit Man
Podcast Episodes
If Books Could Kill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:30
In 1983, the Colorado-based non-fiction publisher, Paladin Press, released a book called Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors. The author, who wrote under the pen name Rex Feral, offered very specific…